A month in a post... Again

Lately, it seems that if I get to my blog it is only to make long reviews of my previous weeks for my friends who have heard little or nothing from me. Actually, it doesn't seem like that, it is precisely like that.

At my partial excuse I could say that, on one side, work is keeping me much more busy than it used to, basically impeding me from writing from work (which, I suppose, is good), while on the other side I've spent 2 of the last 4 weeks in Germany. Truth is, to be honest, that at least partially I've been lazy. If over the last days my hours at work have reached the 8.20-19-30, while in Germany, at least the second time, I got to spend many hours on my own while Susanne was in class... so what? Possibly, I might be feeling the spring. Or perhaps a lack of inspiration. I do not know really.

Sure I'm busy. Work, as said, is crazy, especially these days that my CEO is bound to face a senatorial commission and, in a few days, a parliamentary inquiry commission. I can honestly say that over the last three months, since I change department, I've worked probably 10 times more than the whole three previous years. And they have been months of discoveries and excitement, just as much as frustration and dismay.

To compensate these bursts of activity, I gladly seized the chance offered by a favourable connection of dates and holidays (not to mention the obligation I had to finish my days off for 2006 withing the 30 of April) and spent the second week of April, the Easter's monday one, in Germany, most notably getting the second and worst ever case of drunkenness of my life for which I still have to understand the reasons behind, having consequently to renounce to an already paid for trip to Metz. Also notable was Susanne and me starting an interesting joint project: the vase. We basically chose and planted some seeds together and we take care of the vase together when I'm over there... and something started growing already. I got to see my football team irremediably smashed by Manchester United in the European Football Champions' League (we lost 7 to 1 in out worst defeat in European history) and the day after Susanne's team also getting eliminated. Oh, and I bought myself a bicycle on Germany, at a second-hand market, a nice yellow mountain-bike which I had, thanks to Susanne's impressive haggling skills, for 25 €.

The first week in Germany was important also for another reason: I went and checked the possibility for studying over there. It happens that, after having thought about it for years now, I've decided to try the study abroad experience and my choice fell on 2 programs. The first, and more promising, is a Master of Science program by the London South Bank University which is taught in English and, for a semester, in Mainz. The second is a LLM in financial law in Frankfurt. I had a nice talk with the administrator of the first program and got the impression I would be in if I only applied and eventually I decided to. The second one is an higher level one, more expensive and definitely harder to get into, but I will send my application anyway. What will happen should either of them accept me is still to be seen, given I'd have to discuss with the HR department of my office for a one year leave, something definitely not easy to get.

The second week in Germany was more low-profile in a way as I had a lot of time by myself. Besides a second visit to the FH schule of Mainz, the week-end was particularly intense with hours of disco (and a "over 30" party at that, gee if I felt old... but at least music was good) on Friday and 90 KMs of biking on Sunday along the Rhine river, going from Mainz to Bingen and back, with a nice little picnic in the meanwhile (and, for me, a little nap...). The result was a bit of a tan on my arms and two very sort legs (and something else) on Monday morning as my totally untrained body did cope with the day before. To be said I was lured into it, as they shoul dhad been "only" 60 kms!

It's strange as April has gone so fast that, even being so close, it's blurry already. There has been another VCN Ethnic dinner, which I quite shamefully haven't put up yet, and there has been the first time in years I've been at the cinema with my parents (The Good Shepard). There were also the celebrations for the 2760th anniversary of the foundation of Rome which was the reason for a national meeting of Nova Roma started with a visit to the newly discovered imperial insigna at Museo Massimo, a visit, I must say, full of atmosphere.

And a new month has started, with plans and projects and expectations and much more...